


A stormy night

by LittleLuxxie



Series: A song of Conquest and Fate [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Custom female Corrin, Dense Xander, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/comfort (other way around though), Kinda, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Pseudo-Incest, Romance, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 05:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19419418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLuxxie/pseuds/LittleLuxxie
Summary: Yumi is afraid of the thunderstorm and seeks comfort in Xander's tent. This is not good for his heart, but how can he say no? The answer is he can't.





	A stormy night

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of a follow-up of Thunderstorms, but it isn't at all necessary to read it to get this fic.

The wind howled outside, Xander could hear the creaking from wooden poles and fabric beating in the wind. He was very thankful for the heavy canvas and leather of his tent, it managed to keep most of the wind out. Every now and then the sky let loose a booming thunder. He was exhausted, they had spent the entire afternoon making sure everything in camp was tied down and properly secured. Even the smallest debris could cause havoc amongst the tents. He was just drifting away to sleep when he heard something outside his tent.

“Who’s out there?” he said in a loud voice.

“It- it’s me, can I c-c-come in?” a weak voice called over the wind.

“Yumi,” he mumbled and got up. In his hurry to open the tent he just managed to snatch a nightshirt from beside his bed and pull it over his head.

Quickly he untied the tent flap and held up a small slit.

“What in the world are you doing outside in this weather?” he said as she slipped into the tent. He secured the flap again. “You could’ve been hurt, or you’ll get sick. What were you thinking?”

“I- I’m sorry,” she mumbled to her feet, barely audible over the storm. She looked like a kicked puppy, and Xander regretted the harsh words. Her nightgown was soaking and clung to her body, her hair hung in streaks down her face and her lower lip shook.

“Yumi, has something happened?” he asked in a much gentler tone and started searching for a towel.

“N- no, it’s just-”

A flash lit up the tent, and a loud thunder interrupted her. She shrieked, her whole body jerked, and Xander understood why she was there.

“I’m- I’m- I’m just silly,” she said after a few ragged breaths.

He held out a towel for her to throw over her shoulders, and with another, he pressed the worst wetness from her hair.

“It’s your first storm out of the fortress,” he said simply, and she nodded, “I should have thought about that. But why didn’t you say anything before? We’ve been preparing for the storm all night.”

“I thought-… Well, I’m supposed to be an adult now!” She looked up at him from under the towel. “But it turns out, a storm is a very different thing in a flimsy tent than behind stone walls.”

He couldn’t suppress a chuckle, and she frowned.

“Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m sorry, Little Princess, but sometimes you’re so… adorable-” He bit himself in the tongue. That slipped out. He avoided her eyes but saw a faint redness on her cheeks.

“Fine,” she said, and sounded much harsher than the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth suggested, “in that case I forgive you.”

Before he could think of something to say, another lighting and accompanying thunder made her jump.

“Oh, that was a big one,” she said after a few deep breaths, trying to smile.

He smiled and raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah… so, about that, can I stay here with you?”

Xander opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. There was one bed in the tent, a one-person-sized bed. They would have to share. She would lay beside him, her small frame tight against him to not fall out…

“You wouldn’t send your adorable sister back out in the thunderstorm, now would you?” she said sweetly and looked pleadingly up at him. She looked so small and vulnerable, her eyes wide and her pale lips still shivering.

“No, no, of course, you can stay.”

“Thank you, Xander,” she said, relaxing her shoulders and shuddering. Xander remembered she was still only dressed in her wet nightgown.

“You need to change before you get sick,” he said and took a step back from her, “are all your clothes wet?”

“Um, yes…”

“All right,” he cleared his throat, “I’ll find you something to change into.”

He rummaged through his things and pulled out another nightshirt, a pair of pants would be in vain, there was no way they would stay up on her. When he turned back to her, she had begun unbuttoning her nightgown, it was open halfway down over her chest. He did a sharp intake of breath, and she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Here,” he cleared his throat again and held out the nightshirt, “make sure you’re dry before you put it on.”

“Yes, big brother, I know how to change out of wet clothes,” she said with a teasing grin, looking very pleased for some reason.

When she started to undo the rest of the buttons his cheeks burned, and he turned swiftly away. He thought he heard a soft giggle behind him. He tried to focus on the banner hanging over the tent canvas, doing everything he could to not think about how she stood a few feet behind him and taking her clothes off. To not think about how she would pull the wet fabric off her shoulders and let the nightgown fall. To not think that she would stand there in nothing but her smallclothes. The light from the paraffin lamp would play over her fair skin, to be able to follow the curve of her waist with his eyes. He couldn’t think about that. Not imagine how she would stretch as she loosened the breast band, how her bare chest would be revealed. Not think about how she would take her underpants off, nor how she would dry herself with the towel he just handed her. He definitely couldn’t think about-…

Another lightning and thunder roared over their heads, and Yumi suppressed a shriek. Before thinking closer about it Xander turned around and stood face to face with a heart-wrenching sight. She had his shirt on, which was several sizes too big and hung lopsided on her shoulders. Her hands over her mouth, her breathing ragged and her eyes wide as plates stared at him from behind the tangled, damp hair. At that moment she looked hauntingly like the little girl she’d once been, who had knocked on her big brother’s door to seek comfort during the storm. He was reminded why she was there, in his tent, in the middle of the night and felt like a scoundrel.

“It’s OK, you’re safe here.”

She smiled weakly, “I know, I’m with you.”

“Let’s get some sleep, shall we?” he said and held out an arm in a gesture for her to come with him. She, however, took this as an invitation and snuck in close for a hug. His breath hitched when her small body pressed against him, arms snaking around his waist, her soft breast only separated from his chest by two thin pieces of fabric. Automatically he placed his arms around her in a weak hug, and she buried her face in his shirt. He rested his head on hers, his conscience black. He felt like he took advantage of the situation, but he couldn’t very well shove her away from him. Instead, he held her tighter and heard her give a little sigh.

Carefully he guided her to the bed since she showed no intention of letting go. They climbed into it and she insisted on laying on his arm. With her arm over his chest and her face tucked into the crook of his neck, she sighed, seemingly entirely content. But Xander couldn’t relax, he had a problem or several problems actually, but first, where was he supposed to keep his hand? It ghosted over her side, trying to find a good spot. The most natural position would land his hand on her breast, or just under it. A bit lower was her waist and that was no better. Her hips wouldn’t work, it would feel like he groped her. He could just lay his arm straight out and not hold her, but he didn’t want to do that either. In the end, he settled on her shoulder, it was a bit uncomfortable, but it worked.

A few times she tensed up and he felt how she held her breath as thunder boomed over them, but soon she grew heavier on his arm and her breathing calmed down. He, however, had no idea how he would be able to fall asleep, with her warm, soft body pressed up against his. He was also slightly afraid that he would do something unintentional in his sleep, with the lost self-control it garnered.

A tiny, but insistent, voice at the back of his mind said to enjoy the moment and stop worrying. He would likely never get a moment like this again. Soon enough she would find someone else to keep her safe during stormy nights. That thought went like a spear through his heart and his throat constricted. He laid his other arm over hers and hugged her. To hell with reality, here and now he would relish the little time he got to spend with her this close. With his head leaning on hers, with her scent filling his nose, he started to drift off to sleep.

The stuffy atmosphere of the previous day as gone. The thunderstorm had left the air crisp and clean. A soft dripping outside hinted that it wasn’t too long ago since the rain stopped. A faint smell of damp leather and soil crept into the tent, dimly lit by the soft morning sunshine. A chill went through the tent and Xander curled in closer to the warm person laying on his arm. Head burrowing in silky hair that still smelled of rain. His hand on the small of her back, pushing her closer.

Lazily he followed the curve of her waist with his hand, down over her hips and then up so his fingers brushed against the underside a soft breast. A low humming filled his ear, and a hot puff of air against his neck made him shudder. Feather-light fingers trailed from his shoulder down his chest, down to the hem of his shirt. When her palms met his bare skin, he inhaled sharply. Another soft humming responded, and something brushed against his neck.

He tried to hug her even closer to him, her leg draped over his. The shirt she had borrowed left her thighs bare. With ease he let his fingers caress up and down along the smooth skin. Feeling how it left goosebumps in their wake. Her hand braver now, it slowly stroked up under his shirt, trailing along the shape of his abs. Xander breathed in her scent and tracing small circles up her thighs in under her shirt. Gently he cupped her bare ass, earning a barely audible moan.

His other hand stroked up her arm, over her shoulder up to her neck and tilted her chin up towards him. Clouded red eyes met his, his eyes flickered down to her mouth. Her tongue wet her lips and her eyes fluttered between his eyes and his lips. Her hand traveling down again, stroking along the waistline of his pants. He let his hand slide up from her thighs, over her hip and up to her breast. His thumb ghosted over her nipple through the fabric. Her hot breath met his lips. She was so close, his eyes looked down on her lips again. He felt an overwhelming urge to close the distance between them. His lips drawn to hers with a seemingly unstoppable force. Her eyes fluttered shut as he leaned closer, their lips almost touching.

The trumpet call signaling morning broke the fragile atmosphere. Suddenly wide awake Xander jolted up, out of the bed and onto his feet. Almost pushing Yumi to the ground in the process. Shame flooded over him in waves along with the clear images of what he had just been doing. What had he been thinking? He hadn’t, that’s the simple answer. Panicked he glanced down at Yumi, she sat on the edge of the bed with her back to him. Like she felt that he was looking at her she peeked over her shoulder. She smiled up at him, her eyes shining. Oh no, she was about to cry, what had he done?

“Yumi, I’m-… I’m so, so sorry…” he croaked.

“Xander, it’s fine-”

“No, no it’s not, I never meant to-…” his voice trailed off, “I mean I would never have- I’m sorry…”

Her shoulders sank and the smile faded away.

“Oh… I see…” she whispered and turned her back to him again, but not before he saw a tear roll down her cheek.

He wanted nothing more than to put an arm around her and comfort her, but he restrained himself. The last thing she must want at the moment was him touching her. For a few moments that felt like an eternity, he just stood there and watched her, unable to figure out what he should say or do.

“Well, I better get back to my tent,” she said and got to her feet. Her voice too chipper to sound genuine, “I’ll bring back your shirt later, okay?”

“… Okay,” he said.

She snatched the still damp nightgown and left the tent without another word. He sank down on the edge of the bed and hid his face in his hands, how would he ever forgive himself for this?

**Author's Note:**

> Poor, dense Xander...


End file.
